Harry Aleman
Convicted in 1978 under RICO for a ring of home burglaries, and later convicted of the 1972 killing of William Logan after the state courts held his 1977 acquittal a sham bought by bribing the judge. The 1979 opinion called the burglary enterprise "a small business" of which "Aleman was the proprietor."
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state. This page is limited to court opinions and federal releases.
On the record
- 1972-1973 — Aleman v. United States (7th Cir. 1989) recounts the trial testimony of Louis Almeida about three home robberies in 1972 and 1973.
- 1972 — Aleman v. Toomin (7th Cir. 1998) states that a Cook County judge acquitted Aleman of the 1972 shooting of William Logan at a bench trial on May 24, 1977.
- 1978 — The 1989 opinion records his 1978 convictions for RICO conspiracy, a RICO violation and interstate transportation of stolen goods, with concurrent twenty-year terms and a consecutive ten years.
- 30 October 1979 — United States v. Aleman, 609 F.2d 298 (7th Cir. 1979), rejected the argument that RICO could not reach burglaries by defendants "not shown to be members of 'organized crime'" (the defendants' own description, which the court recites). It said the operation "could only be regarded as a small business. Aleman was the proprietor," and upheld the total sentence of 30 years.
- 10 July 1989 — The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial without a hearing of his § 2255 petition claiming the government had not disclosed that two witnesses were informants.
- 1993 — Aleman v. Toomin recounts witness testimony that he shot and killed Anthony Reitinger in October 1975, allegedly because Reitinger had not paid a "street tax" on his bookmaking to "local organized crime figures," and says he was first charged with that killing in 1993. The court recites testimony; this is not a conviction.
- 1996 — United States v. DiDomenico, 78 F.3d 294 (7th Cir. 1996), the Ferriola Street Crew appeal, lists counsel "for Harry Aleman in No. 93-1135"; the text read does not describe his part.
- 6 March 1998 — Aleman v. Toomin: witnesses Vincent Rizza and Robert Cooley testified that Aleman paid Judge Frank Wilson a $10,000 bribe for the 1977 acquittal; the state courts held the trial a sham, so there was no double jeopardy; a jury convicted him and he was sentenced to 100 to 300 years. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of habeas relief.
- 19 February 2003 — Aleman v. Sternes, 320 F.3d 687 (7th Cir. 2003), says Judge Wilson killed himself in 1990 on learning that federal investigators knew of the corruption, and affirms the denial of habeas relief after the retrial.
This page is limited to five federal opinions. The 1979 opinion makes no finding that he belonged to organized crime, and the 1998 opinion’s phrase is “local organized crime figures,” about the recipients of a street tax; neither names an organization for him, so family and role are empty. No opened record gives his birth or death date.
Records
itemUnited States v. Aleman, 609 F.2d 298 (7th Cir. 1979)The Seventh Circuit upheld the use of RICO against a ring of home burglars led by Harry Aleman, rejecting the argument that the statute reaches only organized crime's infiltration of legitimate business. It called the enterprise 'a small business' of which 'Aleman was the proprietor.'itemAleman v. United States, 878 F.2d 1009 (7th Cir. 1989)The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial without a hearing of Harry Aleman's § 2255 petition, which claimed the government had not disclosed that two witnesses were informants. It recounts his 1978 RICO convictions and sentences.itemAleman v. Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County (Aleman v. Toomin), 138 F.3d 302 (7th Cir. 1998)The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of habeas corpus to Harry Aleman, whose 1977 bench-trial acquittal for the 1972 killing of William Logan the state courts held a sham because the judge had been bribed; there was no double jeopardy.itemAleman v. Sternes, 320 F.3d 687 (7th Cir. 2003)Judge Easterbrook's opinion affirming the denial of habeas relief after Harry Aleman's retrial for the 1972 Logan killing. It recites that Aleman bribed Judge Frank Wilson for the 1977 acquittal and that Wilson killed himself in 1990.itemUnited States v. DiDomenico, 78 F.3d 294 (7th Cir. 1996)Judge Posner's opinion in the appeal of twenty members of the Ferriola Street Crew opens: 'The Chicago Outfit ... operates through street crews.' It names Joseph Ferriola as the crew's boss from 1979 to his death in 1989, succeeded by Infelise.